


Bringing up Barton.

by Purple_Avengers



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Clint is a good man, Cute Kids, F/M, Past Child Abuse, Superheroes, Twins, Uncle Clint, teen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-11 13:05:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 19,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3327839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_Avengers/pseuds/Purple_Avengers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meghan Barton writes a desperate plea to her Uncle, Clint Barton, to save her and her siblings, like the super hero he is, but moving in to the Tower won’t just affect the Barton’s.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Clint never thought he’d be in this situation; his brother and him had never been that close, not since they ran away. Barney had been arrested a week and a half after they had run away from foster care and to the circus. Then Clint and Barney’s lives had taken very different course. Clint had stayed with the circus and then he joined the army, then he joined S.H.I.E.L.D, and then he fell in love with the world’s most dangerous assassin and now he lives with her in a skyscraper full of “superheroes”.

Barney had been arrested and put in prison for three years, in prison he got straightened out and did a three year long course in mechanics. He had then moved to Oxford and set up a garage for vintage cars. He fell in love with a woman called Lily, who was a nursery Nurse. They got married and together they had a daughter and then after a few courses of IVF they had a set of identical twins and another girl.  And two years ago Barney and Lily’s lives had tragically ended in a car crash. The kids had gone to their only other living relation, Lily’s mother.

Nat came back with Clint’s favourite pizza, ham, sausage, green peppers and extra cheese and a bottle of red wine, he had already called and told that they “needed to talk about Barney”, she sadly half smiled at him sadly when she came in. She walked over to the kitchen and picked up two wine glasses. She then walked to the sofa and she then flopped down next to him placing the pizza on the coffee table and curled up under his arm, Nat passed him the pizza box, and they ate in a comfortable silence, until Clint sighed.

“Nat?” he said pushing her off him she sat up because Clint was using his serious voice.

She nodded at him “Do you remember Barney’s kids?” Nat nodded “Well Meghan wrote me a letter.” He handed Nat an envelope, which was addressed to.

**_~~**_**_Uncle_**_**~~ Mr C. F. Barton, _ **

**_The Avengers Tower,_ **

**_New York, New York._ **

~~**_**** _ ** ~~

Nat unfolded the letter inside it, it was written like this.

 

**_Dear Uncle Clint,_ **

**_It’s Meghan, hello. I hope you are well, I was very glad to hear you saved the world and I was even more please to know that you actually survived. No one knows I am writing this so could you please not answer this directly, I’ll get in trouble._ **

**_You might be wondering why I’m writing to you, well it’s because you are my only living on my father’s side and I know for a fact my father was a good man and as you helped save the world I believe you are too. My Grandmother is looking after us right now, and soon I am hoping she will be deemed to ill care for the four of us._ **

**_You see Uncle Clint, I’m not writing to you on my behalf but on my siblings, if the government says that my Grandmother is well, I really don’t want to live here anymore. I have to go back to school in two months and that means I have to leave my siblings with my Grandmother. I can’t do that. I will not do that!_ **

**_In the last 3 months I have found that my Grandmother has a practically medieval style of parenting. And the same temper that my mother had, who also occasionally snapped. My Grandmother now hits me and my brothers and sister, and this is when I’m around. I don’t feel safe here Clint I REALLY don’t, I can’t leave them alone where I don’t feel safe, and now it’s gotten worse as I was attacked in the street last week and now I don’t feel safe anywhere. What’s changed in my Grandmother’s house in the last 3 months you might ask? Well, Tilly has grown up she is no longer a baby, therefore she is not as dependant on my Grandmother and can be disciplined._ **

**_I really hope my Grandmother will be classified too ill to care for us. But the thing is if she is, we will all be put into foster care and we will be split up._ **

**_I’m sorry I don’t know how to ask this of you Uncle Clint, but please. Can you come and get us, please? I’m begging you. Help us. I don’t care what I have to do I’ll take care of the kids on my own. I’ll move to America, I’ll go to a new school, I’ll get a job to pay our way. I just need you to help us get out, please Uncle Clint. You are my last hope._ **

**_Lots of Love_ **

**_Meghan (and Percy and Oscar and Tilly.)_ **

**_Xxx_ **

**_PS Could you answer me on_ ** [ **_Barton_MeghanAstrid@gmail.com_ ** ](mailto:Barton_MeghanAstrid@gmail.com)

“You can’t let that happen, to them anymore.” Nat said immediately.

“No, no I can’t. I mean we both lost our parents and then we were put in a completely new situation without anyone we knew, and put in situations that were violent. I mean they don’t know me really, but they’ve met me a few times for Christmas, and Birthdays and stuff, but we can’t leave them. And you know we’ve talked about adopting.”

“Tell me more about them.” Nat asked, she really did want kids in her life, but she couldn’t have them because the red room had removed her ability to have children. And really could she leave them in the care system.

“Meghan is 15, she is dyslexic and gets decent grades in school with that, other than that I don’t know much about her, she’s a teenager, you know, I guess we’ll have to find her a new school.  Oscar and Percy are the twins, they are both 5, they love super heroes and trains. And Tilly is 2 and a bit, she walks and talks a little bit, she is the shyest girl ever she’s just a little girl Nat. Meg told the foster people that she’d be happy to look after the kids when we get call outs, she is pretty used to taking care of them, because her Mum and Dad worked so much.”

Clint and Nat talked for hours about the children, Meghan Astrid, Oscar Alex, Percy Alec and Tilly Annabeth. The conversation stopped when Nat hugged Clint “We have to do it Clint we can’t leave them, when can we go pick them up.”

 “In two days.” Clint said.

“So we’d better ask Tony for a bigger floor I guess.” Nat said “We’re going to help them through this Clint.” She said hugging him.

The next morning Clint and Nat got down to the common room early, and they made everyone breakfast. The others were surprised, but grateful, they all sat down to waffles and bacon and sausage. Around the table was, in order, Tony, Pepper, Steve, Sam, Bruce, Betty, Thor, Jane, Darcy, Erik, Maria, Nat and Clint.

Nat cleared her throat “Clint and I have something to tell everyone and something to ask you and to specifically ask Tony.” He others fell silent.

“I’m not sure whether many of you know, but Clint has a brother. And Clint’s brother Barney and his wife Lily died last year, and they left behind four kids, and now there Grandma is too sick to look after them  and has been hurting them. And me and Clint really want to take them.”

They was mutterings of “wow” and “that’s really good of you guys.” And “Four kids.”

“And the oldest one is going to look after the small ones when we go on missions, Clint has talked to her, she said she would. She just really wants to just keep her family together. But we wanted to ask you if you guys would just keep an eye on them.

”Can I ask about them?” Pepper pied up.

“Meghan is 15, practically 16, the twins are 5 Percy and Oscar. And then Tilly is 2. They are all really good kids. We just don’t want them to go to foster care. And Tony, we wanted ask you if we could have a bigger floor, and can we borrow your jet to go and get them.”

“Of course you can you guys. But have you guys thought about it?”

“Yes.” they both replied. Everyone disused the children and Tony used his influence to have their Grandmother put away in a hospital.

Clint and Nat went back upstairs and Nat got out the laptop out and put it on Clint’s lap “Okay, let’s write back then.” He said.

This is the letter that Clint and Natasha wrote back to Meghan.

 **To:** [ **Barton_MeghanAstrid@gmail.com** ](mailto:Barton_MeghanAstrid@gmail.com)

**From:** [ **Clint.Hawk.Barton@stark-mail.com** ](mailto:Clint.Hawk.Barton@stark-mail.com)

**_Dear Meggy,_ **

**_I am coming to get you and your brothers and sister. I don’t know why you didn’t write to me earlier. Please do not worry anymore. Where I live is the safest place on earth and the people here are willing to and want to protect you and you’re siblings._ **

**_You can come and live with me and my girlfriend Natasha (Black Widow)- but she really is not as scary as the name she is really nice and will protect you as everyone else here will. But everyone in the tower wants to look after you and is willing to care for you._ **

**_We are coming to get you in two days, I promise you’ll never be hit again and neither will your siblings. Just hold on Meggy. We will be there in a bit. You’ll never have to be scared again. Pack your things and try and stay out of her way._ **

**_Love you lots_ **

**_Uncle Clint (and Nat) xxx_ **


	2. Chapter 2

Tony did let them have a bigger floor, 4 bedrooms, they had moved everything upstairs by lunch time that day. Clint and Nat got onto a privet jet of Tony’s to fly to England. They then drove from London to Oxford and went to the hotel they were booked into.

The next day, Clint and Nat drove the van they had hired down the streets of the suburban oxford, stopping the van, in front of the house that was numbered 23, and Clint knocked on the door and he then stepped away. It opened to revel a middle aged woman, the kid’s grandmother’s neighbour who had been watching them. “Hi.” She said “Mr Barton?” she questioned.

“Yes,” he said reaching out to shake her hand. “This is Natasha.” He said gesturing as the women shook hands.

“Well they are right in the back.” She said as Clint and Natasha stepped into the house. The women lead them into the back living room of the house. They saw to little dark haired boys sitting cross legged on the floor and playing with trains. Sitting on the sofa was a teenage girl with same the dark hair as the boys, that was curled at the bottom just sitting on top of the shoulders, she was writing in a giant folder. And she had a small little girl, with the same dark curly hair, on her lap that she was cuddling, while she was writing. Meghan looked up, then she stood up and shifted Tilly on her hip, she walked towards them. “Hello Uncle Clint.” She said in her English accent, half hugging her Uncle over Tilly, who hid shrinking into her side and in her sister’s hair. “Hey Meg.” He said. “This is my girlfriend Nat.”

“Hello.” Nat said.

“Hi. Mmmmmm I don’t really know how to thank you guys.”

“It’s okay, really.” He said Meghan turned, “Hey boys, say Hi to your Uncle and your new Aunty Nat.” the boys looked up from the floor waved in unison and said “Hello.” At the same time. And then went right back to playing.

“Hi boys.” He laughed.

“So your guys stuff is…” Clint said              

“Next door in my Grandmother’s house, I’ve packed everything up.” Meghan said.

“Okay, we will and go and get your stuff, is it okay if the kids stay here for a min.”

“They’ll be okay.” Meg said “Tills can you go and play with your brothers.” She asked the little girl, Tilly nodded and Meg put her down and she went, dragging a stuffed Winnie the Pooh toy along the ground with her and sat on one of her brothers laps. Meghan then picked up the folder. Meghan then led the spies around to the house next door and at the front door was 8 suitcases, and a baby bag, that Clint and Nat put in the car, “That’s all the little ones clothes and toys.” She said.

“Where is your stuff?” Clint asked she then lead them upstairs into a room that crammed in one single bed a set of bunk beds and a cot. On the floor were a small suit case that contained her clothes and a backpack that was full of her school stuff.

“You haven’t got a lot of stuff Meghan.” Nat said.

“Mum and Dad and Grandma, never had a lot of money, and I’d rather the little ones had things.” She answered. Nat and Clint shared a look, that Meg didn’t notice, that girl deserved a lot.

Clint sat down on the bottom bunk bed and he gestured for Meg and Nat to sit on the single bed.

“So, Meg we just wanted to talk to you about, the stuff that’s going to happen and what you want, because you’re older and you know better.” Meg nodded.

“So we live in the Avengers Tower and that’s where you are going to live with us, we just moved into a new floor, and you are going to have your own room and so is Tilly and the twins will share, and we really want you all to do up your own rooms. The tower is a really good place to live and everyone is really nice there, it’s just on big dysfunctional family, and you’re part of it now. We have our own floor, but there is a common floor, where everyone goes when they want company, and there is a gym and a pool. If we get called to assemble, you said, you’d look after the kids, but there will be other people there as well, there is always someone there. You are going to go to school in New York and I think that’s all you need to know for now, we don’t want to over whelm you. But any questions, anything at all you ask. Okay.” Clint finished

Meg nodded “Thank you, I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything.” Nat said putting her hand on Meg’s knee.

Clint picked up suitcase and the back pack and they went down stairs to put it in the car, “Oh.” Meg said as Clint and Natasha were fitting car seats into the car, “By the way, my brothers are Avengers obsessed.”

“Right,” Clint said “We’ll try not to be near them in uniform, before we explain.”


	3. Chapter 3

They went back into the house and the boys had packed away the trains into their back packs and they were sat waiting for their sister to come back. One of them had Tilly on his lap and the other ran up to Meg and bounced up and down with his arms in the air. Meg picked him up “Are we going on the plane now?” he asked

“Sure we are Pip.” She said cuddling her brother, as Clint sat down on the floor to talk to Oscar about trains and Tilly hid behind Oscar’s back , “Do you want your Aunty Nat to put you in your car seat?” he nodded and Meg passed Percy to Nat and Tilly ran at her sisters legs.

She picked her up, “Come on then Trouble.” Meg said carrying Tilly outside, Nat put Percy in one of the very back seats of the 7 seater and Meg put Tilly into her rear facing car seat, the little girl mumbled to her sister. “Yes we’re going on an Adventure, Tilly-Pot.” Meg got out the car and walked around to Nat who was looking very hard at Percy.

“Mmmmm how do you?” Nat half asked Meg

“Tell them apart?”

“Yep.”

“Percy will only wear blue and his favourite is Captain America and he has a strawberry birth mark on the bottom of his left foot. Oscar will only wear red and his favourite is Iron Man. Oscar will always ask why and Percy will always do what you tell him, he is the good twin.”

“Right, okay then.” Nat walked a little away from the car, “Look Meg, I just wanted to say. I’m not going to try and insult you by trying to be your Mother, but if you ever, need a friend Meg. I’m right here.”

“Thanks Aunty Nat. Can I call you Aunty?” she smiled.

“Absolutely you can.” She said hugging Meg as Clint walked out caring a giggling 5 year old and two kid sized backpacks. He then put Oscar by Percy and they all got in Meg sat next to Tilly and Clint drove to the airport he put the car right next to the plane. “Are we going on a privet jet?” Meg asked.

Clint laughed “Friends in high places.” He and Nat took all the bags onto the plane as Meg unbuckled all of her siblings, the boys ran on to the plane carrying one of their car seats between them and following behind was Meg carrying the final two car seats a with Tilly clinging to her leg Clint grabbed the car seats off her. She picked up Tilly and looked straight into the little girls face “Tilly these are nice people and they are going to look after us.”

The little girl mumbled as Clint fitted the car seats into the sofa style seats around the sides of the plane, he put all the seats next to each other, as the boys ran around the plane with their arms out making plane noises.  Meg clipped her sister into the car seat, “Sleepy.” Was the first word that Clint heard the toddler utter.

“I know, baby.” Meg said, getting a fuzzy Eeyore blanket and a bottle out of the baby bag. “You hug Winnie and drink your juicey so your ears are okay, Tilly-Pot.”

Meg went over to where Clint had gone to sat down by Natasha, she sat down as she nodded to towards the twins, “I made them stay up last night and I got them up really early so they should crash when we get to America.”

“Okay then.” Clint said he did a double take at his niece “Are you okay?” he asked because he had never seen a person go a paler shade of white, Meg was pale anyway but this was pushing it.

“I really hate flying.” She said curling he legs under herself. “Really hate it.”

“Well, you in really good hands.” Nat said “Tony only hires ex-military personnel.”

“Okay. Do you mind if I listen to my iPod for a while?” she said taking an ancient iPod shuffle out of her pocket.

“No problem. What are you listening to?” Clint asked.

“I like to listen to audio books, because I sometimes have trouble reading because of my dyslexia. So I listen to audio books, I’m listening to a book called An Abundance of Katherines. I find they calm me down.”

“Really I listen to audio books too, same reasons. And by the way if you want to moan to me about dyslexia, feel free, because I know.” Clint said

“Thanks.” Meg smiled, putting he ear phones in hands shaking a little as the plane started to move on the tar mac. Nat got up giggling as the twins grabbed onto her legs wriggled in her arms as she put them in the car seats. Oscar said “Are we going on an Adventure?” Oscar asked the spy.

“Yes.” Nat said, “Yes we are, sweetie.”

Meg smiled, she could trust Nat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look out for another Chapter over the weekend.


	4. Chapter 4

The plane landed and the pilot helped Clint, Nat and Meg put the suitcases into the car, the kids were kind of grumpy, and complaining they were hungry, as they were buckled into the car. They had brunt themselves out racing about. Oscar had spent most of his time chasing this brother up and down on the plane, practically dragging his little sister behind him by her hand. 

Clint said “I think we’ll stop at McDonalds.” Clint said “Do you want anything Meg?”

“Do you mind if I eat a bit later?” the teen asked.

“Not at all, I wasn’t expecting for you to eat this early. Friday night take away, Tony is ordering Chinese. What’s your favourite?” he asked.

“I love satay chicken.”

“Done!” Clint said starting the engine and heading right for the middle of town.

“What do they usually have?” Nat asked

“A Nuggets happy meal.”

“Are going to get a happy meal?” Oscar asked

“Yes we are kiddo.” Clint pulled down a side road.

“Can we get nuggets, please?” Oscar asked.

“Of course Oz.” Clint said checking the rear view mirror to see which twin he was talking to.

They all got out at Macdonald’s the kids all got McNuggets Happy Meals. Clint and Nat both got very large coffees and they got Meg a coke, that was almost bigger than her own head, which she sat sipping the caffeine and sugar returning her to a more normal colour than green. The boys ran around and around the tables of the restaurant- hardly anyone was in the restaurant, weird because of the fact it was 5:30 on a afternoon Friday, but Meg felt completely spaced out, with jet lag. Tilly was grumpy and refused to sit anywhere but her sister’s lap, so the toddler just sat cuddling talking very animatedly to her Winnie toy, apparently the conversation was a good one.

Once the kids had finished Nat and Clint put them back into the car. Tilly went quiet and dozed on the way to the tower, so Meg was able to look out of the window at get her first view of the place her and her siblings would be living. Everything in New York was huge and the tower was the cherry on the apple flavoured cake. Clint pulled into the car park under the tower.

Clint and Nat piled the kids and their luggage into the lift, Percy and Oscar ran in after them, and Meg took Meg’s seat out of the car and carried her into the lift. At the top they then pulled all their things into the new flat, the first thing that hit Meg was the giant floor to ceiling windows showing the New York sky line. The next thing was that they were surrounded by boxes and plastic covered furniture. “So it a work in progress.” Clint told Meg.

Nat showed Meg around the apartment coming out of the lift to the left of it was the living room with a huge book shelf on the same wall as the lift. In front of the lift was a shiny red kitchen. To the right of the lift was a large room with a the same floor to ceiling skyline windows that were in the living room, Nat showed her how by flicking a switch the windows completely blacked out. Nat said that was the twins new room, next to that was a bathroom with frosted floor to ceiling glass, and next to that was an identical room to the twins room that was Tilly’s, Nat pointed to the cameras in both of the rooms “So you always know they’re safe” Nat said. The Nat pointed to a door that was on the wall facing the windows of the living room, “That’s your room. She said, “But you can’t go in there yet.”

Nat laughed the boys started to play hide and seek in and out of the pile of boxes.  “Can I use the kettle?” Meg asked taking an empty bottle and a tin of powdered milk out of Tilly’s bag. Clint nodded as he started chasing the boys. And Nat excused herself to the bathroom.

Meg put Tilly on top of the work surface. Meg put the powder in to the bottle of the pink toped bottle pouring the hot water into it putting the top on and shaking it. Then she gave Tilly the bottle, who happily took it.

By the time Nat had come back into the lounge around Oscar was lying on the floor and Percy was whimpering because he was so tired. Meg took all the seat cushions off the three sofas and put them in the furthest corner of the twins new room it was bigger than a double bed, she put all the blankets and cushions that Pepper had given Nat on top of them. By the time Meg had done that Tilly had finished drinking and she had fallen asleep. Meg took her sleeping sister and her teddy out of the seat put her in the furthest corner of the makeshift bed putting a pillow under her head and tucking her in under her own blanket, then putting the duvet over her. Then she put the sleepy twins to bed who went to sleep almost immediately.


	5. Chapter 5

“Do you want to come down, to meet everyone and eat?” Nat asked, “We can keep an eye on the kids with the cameras?”

“Okay, then, can I go and get changed please?” she asked.

“Yes sure. You can use my room.” Nat said picking up Meg’s little suitcase, she then went to the furthest point of the book self and opened a secret door that opened up to Nat and Clint’s bedroom. Which again full of deconstructed furniture. She passed Meg her small suitcase she opened it and pulled out a red and black tartan print dress. “That’s really pretty.”

“It’s the only dress I own, but I like dresses, I like to wear them with my boots.” She pointed down at her battered ankle boots, “You can get changed in there.” Nat pointed to the bathroom, Meg turned and shut the door behind her.

Nat looked into the girls suitcase, there was three pairs of jeans, 3 t-shirts one Beatles shirt and a shirt that said “Take Me to Neverland.” An Oxford cross country club shirt. One black strappy top, a pair of cycling shorts and a polo shirt, and one grey jumper- wow this girl needed clothes.

Meg came out with the clothes she had changed out of in her arms, dumping them on top of the suitcase.

“Okay then, let’s go down stairs, are you ready to meet everyone, now Maria is not here today she is working but everyone else is.”

“Okay. Everyone.” Meg followed Nat out of her bedroom and into the lift, with Clint.

“You okay, superstar?” he asked before hitting the button.

“I’m okay.”

The other side of the lift opened out onto a very large room straight in front of them was the biggest TV Meg had ever seen surrounded to the most amount of chairs and sofas Meg had ever seen. To the left was the obligatory New York sky scape windows. To the left of the wall along side of the lift was a kitchen, that a lot of people were standing around, they were all holding plates or arguing over food or passing out things to eat, and no one had noticed the silent lift come up. Clint put his hands on Meg’s shoulders and guided her out of the lift with Nat following. “Guys this is Meg.” He said.

Clint pointed out each person to Meg, “That’s Bruce, Erik, Sam, Pepper, Steve, Jane, Darcy, Betty, Thor and Tony.”

Thankfully and sensibly everyone went back to what they had been doing so as not to make Meg feel uncomfortable. A tall women with light ginger hair walked up to Meg.

“Hi.”

“Hi, I’m Pepper.” The women smiled at Meg.

“Meg, nice to meet you.”

“It’s good to meet you, too. We’re very glad to have all of you here, Meg.”

“Thanks.”

“This is Tony.” Pepper gestured to the man that appeared at her shoulder, that Meg recognised from the cover of Forbes, he offered Meg his hand.

She took it and shook it. Tony said. “Hey Meg. Do you want food, we got you your satay?”

“I’d love some food.” Meg said her stomach growling extra loud, she suddenly realised how hungry she was. Meg walked over to the kitchen, someone, Sam? Passed her a plate, Meg dished herself out some special rice and someone, Steve? Passed her the satay.

“Thanks.” Meg said. Dishing out the Satay. Meg walked towards the sofas and sat down next to her Uncle, she took a large bite from her plate, feeling a little less light headed. “Well.” He said “You’ve getting your colour back Meg”

“Colour back?” The man sitting across from them, leaned over to shake Meg’s hand “I’m Bruce Banner.”

“Hello.” Meg said, knowing that it was quite ironic that the man who became the Hulk, that was asking about the colour of her skin. Clint put his arm over the back of the sofa around his niece.

“Well. When she’s flying our Meg’s not a happy camper.”

“Tell me about it.” Bruce said “I hate planes.” Meg nodded in agreement as everyone started to sit down around her on the various sofas.

“Tell us about you and your siblings?”

“Well, my siblings. Percy and Oscar are awesome, they are obsessed with the Avenger, by the way, also trains, but mostly the Avengers. The way to tell them apart is Pip will only wear blue and his favourite is Captain America, sorry. Ozzy will only wear red and his favourite is Iron Man, sorry guys. And Tilly- well she is the cutest kid in the world, she is really, really shy. So don’t be offended if she doesn’t talk to you, but you can talk at her I guess, and you might want to brush up on Winnie the Pooh books, Christopher Robin, the 100 Acre Wood and all of that.”

“So, Meg what about you?” Pepper asked.

“I listen to audiobooks. Well, mmmm,I am okay at cross country running. And I like watching telly.” Meg couldn’t think of what else to say.

“Well that’s really cool.” Tony said. Meg decided that she like the Avengers and their friends, they didn’t make a big fuss about things, and they all seemed very nice people, down to earth.

Meg decided that Stark was a bit out there but she could cope with him as long as he kept his heart on in the right place. Thor was a bit weird, but he was from another planet, but Meg supposed that was a given, and Jane humanised him, she was nice Jane. In fact all the women seemed nice. Women being nice, this was a bit foreign to Meg, but Nat, Betty, Pepper, Jane and Darcy were all at first glance very caring. 


	6. Chapter 6

Meg helped Natasha make breakfast, Natasha made her and Clint a green smoothie. Meg poured two bowls of cheerios, put some toast on and got out blackcurrant jam, and Nat scrambled some eggs for Tilly. Meg then got the orange juice out of the fridge and poured it into 4 cups. As Nat poured the coffee into 3 cups and passed one to Meg, “Thanks.”  She said taking a sip, and then helping Nat move everything on the table Clint had just constructed

Meg left to go and quickly get a shower.  Percy and Oscar were playing with two little wooden trains they had a course set up around all the plates, dishes and cups on the tables. Percy knocked over Meg’s half empty glass of orange juice, which went all over the table. Nat got up to get something to mob it up, and when she did Percy flinched and quickly ran under the table, Oscar cried and stood defiantly in front of his brother and Tilly screamed her head off. The two adults exchanged a look, “It’s okay.” Nat said “I’m going to get something to clean it up.”

Clint picked up Tilly who just screamed in his arms, Meg came in with wet hair and Clint handed her the screaming girl who stopped immediately once she was with her sister Meg then sat on the floor and her brothers came and sat on her lap she whipped the tears of Percy’s face “It’s okay Nat isn’t going to hurt you, she’s nice. She’s going to look after you like I do. Do you guys want to play in your room, take your sister?”

The kids ran off “Why just me?” Nat asked.

“I didn’t mean to offend you, it’s just they have only ever been hit by a women and Clint looks quite like dad, I’m sorry.”

“Oh honey I wasn’t taking offence just wondering.” 

Clint came back to sit by Meg “So me and Nat thought we’d show you around the tower and stop by the pool maybe have a swim while the removal people put all our furniture back together.”

“Sounds good.” Meg said “You can take the boys and Tilly swimming- but I don’t like being in the water.”

“We can do something else if you’d like.” Clint said

“No, the kids really love swimming.” Meg said

“Well. If there is anything, that you want to do while we show you around, you shout up.” Nat said.

After the tour of the labs, the library and the actual indoor cinema, Meg couldn’t wait to go and watch a film in there. She had not been to the cinema in over two years and she had never been to one that had sofas and that could show whatever she wanted. The gym which housed the most high tech equipment Meg had ever seen. There was a huge tiled stair cases leading down to the swimming pool.

Meg climbed up onto the wall high, that held the banister leading down to the swimming pool, she swung her legs over the edge of the wall, leaning against the upright tiled wall. Putting on her bright purple head phones and Steven Fry said to Meg; “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 3; The Knight Bus”. She watched her siblings and Uncle and Nat splashing around playing with the pool toys, the boys were content to climb onto a massive blow up floaty that sat in the middle of the pool, and then jump off it. Nat was spinning Tilly around in a baby floaty seat, the toddler could swim, but she preferred to be pushed around. There laughter echoed around the pool above the top of the voice track in Meg’s ears.

“So do you mind my asking?” Steve said.

“Why I’m not with them?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t swim. But the boys learnt to swim in a lake, when they were little, so they weren’t old enough to have crippling irrational fear. But I was twelve and the water was too dark I couldn’t see the bottom and I’m scared of drowning, like more than a normal person. I put Tilly into pre-school when she turned 2, her best friends parents took them both to swimming lessons for a while. So that’s how they learnt to swim.”

“Do you want to learn?” Steve asked.

“I don’t want to be scared anymore, of anything. So yes I want to learn, but aren’t I too old.”

“Want to know a secret?” Steve asked nudging Meg jokingly with her shoulder.

“What?” 

“I didn’t learn to swim until I was 90.”

“Really?”

“Yep, I taught myself to swim when I got here.” He said swinging his legs over the edge of the wall, “I can teach you- if you want. Our secret.”

Meg nodded enthusiastically “Promise not to tell anyone.”

“I promise, I won’t tell, I don’t tell.”

“Thanks.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are enjoying the Barton madness.  
> I would like to apologise for the lack of correct spelling or words in the wrong order, you can all blame my dyslexic brain.  
> You kudos and comments are the equivalent to fairy dust and mini elephants. Thanks, M xxx

When they got back to the flat, Nat and Clint went to wash Tilly and the boys. This gave Meg a chance to look at the furniture which was now set up in the flat. The lounge, eating area and Meg was guessing Nat and Clint’s rooms were all now furnished. The shelved wall holding the secret door the too Clint and Nat’s bedroom, now held a large TV, books, DVD’s and several framed pictures.  The wall opposite was wallpapered with horizontal alternate thick, thin and dotted black stripes.

Facing in the direction of the TV was 3 low black sofas with purple and red scatter cushions, there was a black bubble seat hanging from the roof, inside was the same scatter cushions. Tucked away in the corner in the space between the kitchen and the door to Meg’s room was a large wooden table, a booth style seating sat behind it, attached to the corner. On the other side of the table was four large wooden chairs, and one sat at the head of the table. The wall opposite the huge glass windows in the lounge, held the door to Meg’s room, next to it was a huge black and white canvas of a panoramic view of the sky line along the river running through Budapest. In between Tilly’s room and the bathroom, was a canvas of a black rose with glitter defining the edges.

Meg curled up the swinging bubble seat and put in her headphones “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 5: The Dementor”

About 10 minutes later Clint came in with bubbles in his hair, he went via the kitchen picking up a stack of papers. He sat down on the sofa. Meg took her ear phones out.

“Hi.” He said.

“Hey. You’ve got..” Meg said pointing to his hair. Clint ran his hand through his hair.

“I wanted to talk to you about school.” He handed Meg two packages a paper, “These are the only two schools with a cross country team, have a look through them, ask me anything.”

“Okay, thanks.” Meg opened the program of the first school. “How close is this one?”

“It’s about half an hour away.”

Meg compared the two for a least an hour and after an hour Meg decided that she would go to the second high school because one: it was close, two; it was a tiny bit smaller than the other one and, three, because that school did have a Latin course.

“Okay so the schools new student policy is a little weird you go in two weeks later than the start of term, for some reason.”

Nat came out of the bathroom with 3 clothed kids, as Clint was half way through, making a Bolognese sauce and Clint was the cook in this house, Nat admitted that all she could cook was scrambled eggs.

Clint was going to take Meg grocery shopping later today, because he had been delighted to learn that his niece was an avid backer. She had already got together some bread with what was left in the kitchen cupboards.  

When the pasta had finished Meg helped Clint dish out the pasta and Bolognese and sat              around the table, Meg got up and pulled all her sibling tops over their heads, so they wouldn’t cover themselves in pasta sauce.

Clint looked at the boys carefully. “So boys. You like superheroes, right?”            

The boys nodded quickly.                           

“And do you guys know that the Avengers are real people?”

“Yes,” Percy said “Meggy says they are real people normally and the Avengers sometimes.”

“Well Nat and I are Avengers, and so are the people you’re going to meet  today.”

Both the boys looked at Clint “Okay then.” Oscar said. Percy nodded and went back to eating. Clint rasied his eyebrows at Meg, apparently the twins were not to fussed about living with their idols.

After Meg and Nat had wiped the kids down and put there t shirts back on. They took the lift down to the common room. This time as everyone did look up, when the doors opened. As they were all siting of sofas, ready to introduce Steve to the master piece that is the Lion King.

 “Right guys.” Clint spoke to the room at large the boys standing on either side of him. “This is Percy.” He put his hand on the head of the boy in blue, “And this is Oscar.” The boys waved in unison. Tony laughed, the boys scurried off to the corner of the room, to sit on a massive bean bag. Each of the twins staring at their own favoured hero, their hero worship apparently, only reserved for their own hero’s.

Clint smartly didn’t introduce Tilly to the room. As the toddler had practically sunk into her sister’s shoulder, Meg sat down on one of the sofa’s in between Betty and Bruce on the left and Pepper on her right. Tilly squeaked and curled into Meg’s lap facing away from everyone else.


	8. Chapter 8

Natasha and Pepper took Meg shopping for the little kids new bedrooms. In the furniture store Meg had an amazing idea, the girls brought an actual climbing frame that Tony and Clint confirmed by text they’d modify the floor to reinforce it so it could hold the wait of the furniture of the roofed club house, three floors above the swings and slides. They brought two single beds that were close to the floor and three, bedside tables, to put into the club house, they also brought Iron Man and Captain America sheets, red and blue cushions of all shapes and sizes. The biggest Cap shield rug they could find that almost the entire floor of the play house. They found little chairs with Iron Man and Captain America. Meg also found Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man and Thomas the Tank Engine posters to put in there club house. The boys rooms was easy, the girls had fun grabbing everything they could see with an Avenger on it.

All the action figures any little boys could ever want were put into the trolley, bins to put all their toys with Avengers on them would sit in the corner of the room on the floor. They got Iron Man arc reactor night lights, that you could put in the corner of the club house. They also found Avengers curtains to put in the windows of the club house, and the girls then went to a toy shop and brought every train they could find and train set in the place. She also got a huge Thomas the Tank Engine jigsaw puzzle, that she knew the twins would love. They got Tilly a kitchen, and a rocking horse. Then they brought all the kids blocks, Lego, puzzles and stacking toys.

They got Tilly a “big girl” bed that was circular, it would hang from the roof by green and white silks and swing it would stop one foot from the floor. The toddler would have a nest, They brought a large duvet pink gingham sheets with Winnie characters on them, they also found cushions of Winnie and Tigger’s head on them, they found a large flat Winnie cushion. They also found many white green and pink pillows. They also brought a Winnie night light and a huge rug with a map of the 100 acre wood on it. Then the girls went to the Disney store Meghan took great delight in putting everything with Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Kanga, Roo and Eeyore on it, in the trolley, Meghan even found a Winnie that was taller than Pepper when it was sitting down on the floor, everything in the two year olds room bright coloured Winnie. Meg got fluffy fairy lights to hang down the side of Tilly’s bed. They also found a treasure chest to put all Winnie’s toys in, a wardrobe, a mini desk and chair and a large pink gingham floor cushion. They also went to the soft toy shop and brought Tilly almost the entire shop, also buying the twins teddy’s they would like.

The girls then met up with Betty, who was working in the Children’s Hospital so she could meet up with them in her lunch break. The women took Meg to what they said was their favourite café, it was a cute little deli style café off of the beaten track. They took their seats in a scrubbed down wooden table, next to the window that looked out onto the shops down the little side road. Pepper ordered a Creaser salad, Betty and Nat got the soup and Meg asked for the tuna cheese melt with a salad.

“So you mentioned cross country, are you going to join a club or something?” Betty asked, her soup fogging up the glasses she was wearing.

“Well Clint enrolled me in a High School that has a track team with a cross country extension.” Meg said between bites of her favourite sandwich. Pepper coaxed Meg into creating a Pinterest board of things she would like in her dream room, over dinner.

Once they had finished they decided to be naughty and get pudding, Pepper got a lemon moose, Betty got a slice of cheese cake and Nat got and piece of chocolate cake. When Meg’s plate was set in front of her Nat said “You like carrot cake?”

“Yes.” Meg said “It’s my favourite. I love to make it as well. I love to bake.”

They left the café soon after saying goodbye to Betty, Nat Pepper and Meg carried on shopping. Meghan wasn’t use to treating herself, and Pepper and Nat practically had to pull teeth to get the teen to by stuff. But they ducked into the little antique shop next door the cafe Meg absolutely fell in love with, but she saw the price and decided not to get it.

Pepper and Nat did then take her audio book, dvd and stationery shopping. She brought with a little coxing, the her own copies of the audio books of Harry Potters, Pride and Prejudice, The Chronicles of Narnia, Animal Farm, Sherlock Holmes, Of Mice and Men, Swallows and Amazons, The Secret Garden, and all the Malory Towers, all of which her Dad had read to her and that she wanted to listen to again. She also brought all the BBC original dramas she could lay her hands on. And Meg loved stationery especially A5 notebooks so Nat and Pepper brought her every one that she loved in the shop.  But Nat left the shop and went to go and get Tilly Winnie the Pooh books when Meg decided to buy the Avengers comics. They met back up in the shop Nat was in Meg brought every book that she thought her siblings would love, she also got glow in the dark star stickers to stick the roof of the boy club house. Meg brought paint, string and wood.

When they got back the artists that Pepper had hired to paint murals on the boys and Tilly’s room were already half way through painting an Avengers mural on the witch held the door of the twins room, with their names in comic book writing on the wall on the left, the right wall would be where the climbing frame bunk house bed would rest against. Another man was also installing a squishy floor so the boys could fall without being hurt. The other artist was painting the 100 acre wood and all its inhabitants on all four walls of Tilly’s room. Someone was also screwing a hook in the roof about a foot off the far left corner of the room that’s where Tilly’s bed would hang.

Meg made a sign saying “Oz and Pip’s Club House.” To hang on the side of the playhouse on a piece of string. She also made a sign for Tilly’s room saying “Tilly and Winnie’s Room.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The twins playground: http://swingsetsbaltimore.com/wp-content/plugins/slider-pro/includes/timthumb/timthumb.php?q=100&w=960&h=411&a=tl&src=/wp-content/themes/rainbow/images/slider/r-king-kong-castle.jpg


	9. Chapter 9

Both the twins and Tilly went mad when they saw their new rooms, the twins literally screamed when they saw there club house, they were so happy. They played on the swings, the slide, the climbing walls and the robe climbs. They then found the toy box, and then had a Cap, Iron battle that raged for hours, they also flung cushions at each other bouncing on their beds in the club house.

Tilly’s eye lit up when she saw her room she bounced up and down, emptied all the soft toys out of her toy box. Twenty minutes later she was swinging in the new bed with all the soft toys taking to the population of her, hundred acer wood.

Nat told Meghan to go into her room. Meghan walked in to her new bedroom, like the living room there was a wall of glass. The room was painted duck egg blue on the two facing walls and a soft green on the wall with the door to the rest of the flat, white washed floor boards, with tiny dashes of pink in the furniture. On the left wall, on a raised platform, stood a beaten up four poster bed that was cream and sanded down so you could see some of the wood with cream silks over the top of the bed and down the posts, fairy lights mixed with the silk wrapped around each of the four posters, the bedding was cream with pink and red roses with green leaves covering the sheets. Opposite the bed and to the left of the door Meg was standing in were, two white doors, which the twins and Tilly’s rooms didn’t have. Each of the door had a letter on it, M,B her initials. Covered in light green and light blue fabric, respectively, they each had fabric flower sewn into them. Then green M held a pink fabric flower on the top left corner. And the blue B had a grey fabric flower on the bottom left corner.

Meg opened the one it was a packed walk in wardrobe, full of everything in her style, that she can imagine wearing, thank you Nat! Behind the other door was a black and white bathroom, with purple accessories, Meg walked back into the bedroom in between the two doors was a tv and the old fashioned writing desk that Meg had absolutely fallen in love that had been restored and polished up, that Nat and Pepper had secretly brought for her. Sitting against the glass was a chesterfield dark brown, two seater sofa with duck egg blue and green and grey and pastel pink and floral cushions and a soft grey fuzzy blanket. To the left of the bed was vintage dressing table with a vintage sliver mirror, Meg opened the draws and it was stuffed full of makeup, thank you, Pepper. Meg noted that there was 4 full length corner bookshelves that were stuffed full of every audio book and every DVD that Clint had decided she needed after he saw what she had brought, her eyes started to water what really finished Meg off was, the black and white canvases that were hung around the room there was a: Union Jack one, her favourite place in Oxford ever- the bridge of sighs, her Dad’s old car shop, the skyline of Oxford and she had no idea how the Clint and Nat knew or got this, was the view from her old bedroom window- Megs’s favourite view in the world.  Lastly on her bedside table in a green frame was the last ever photo taken of Meg and her Mum and Dad and her siblings and on her bed was her childhood teddy bear.

She was so happy that her siblings and her had a new chance with good people, and her Mother and Grandmother were out of her life. Meg lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling, she couldn’t be more grateful if Clint and Nat had saved her life, well, she suppose they had.

Meg walked out of her room and hugged both Clint and Nat without saying anything. Meg sat down, “Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

“You are very welcome, you deserve it.” Clint said, “I don’t know whether you noticed but there is a lock on your door, so you can have your own space. Two rules; if an adult asks you open the door. And you don’t lock it at night.”

“Of course.”

At 8 o’clock the twins went to bed, Tilly had gone to bed an hour earlier. Nat made popcorn and ordered an Indian. Then Clint put on Educating Rita. They watched all of it Meg could practically recite the whole thing it was her favourite film. Meg was curled up on the end of one sofa, Nat and Clint sat cuddled on the other one.

”Hey kid, ins’t your birthday coming up soon?”

“1st of September.”

“What do you want?”

“Nothing, you guys have given me everything already. Too much.”

At the end of the film Meg excused herself to her room.

Around 12 o’clock Clint passed Meg’s room he heard the TV was on. Clint knocked on Meg’s door to tell her it was late and that she probably go to sleep, the door clicked open. The TV was on showing the 9th episode of season 1 of Revenge. His niece was on the brown Chesterfield tucked under a soft grey blanket, he walked over to her, and he pulled back the covers on her bed. He took the blanket off Meg, she was wearing a pair of blue silk p-jays he picked her up and put her down into her bed. He put the duvet over her and picked up the remote clicking off the television. “Good night, Meg.” He whispered. Meghan Astrid Barton might be as strong mentally as the Black Widow, but Meg was still, really, is just a little girl.


	10. Chapter 10

Two weeks later the Barton siblings were pretty well settled in to tower life. After a week and a half the boys had gotten over their hero worship and they had realised exactly what Meg had told them; that Tony and Steve were just normal people.

Tilly had decided that Clint, and even more shockingly Nat and Pepper were okay to talk to. She of course talked to them very quietly, and would only talk to them when her sister was around. And only if there was only those people in the room.

Meg had settled in okay, she was eternally grateful to everyone in the tower, but she was a very privet person and she never spoke about the life she had left behind.

Meg jumped down the final few steps and down to the firing range.

“Hi Clint.” Meg said to the sniper hoping up onto the table behind the sniper range.

“Hey Meg.” Came he hummed making the shot. He stood up straight setting down his bow.

“So.” He said turning and talking to Meg “What’s up Superstar?”  

“Oh, nothing much, Clint. Nat is making lunch so she asked me to come down and tell you, but I came down early, because I have nothing to do, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Nope.” He said picking pressing the button above his head so the stuffed model human came in, it took a very long time.

The dummy one along from where Clint was working was set up for normal bullet range. There was a knife near Meg’s left hand, she picked it up and threw it at the dummy, it hit straight between the eyes, Clint stared. “Meg?”

“I guess the perfect aim skipped a generation for my dad. I don’t think anyone else can do it, the twins I mean”

“Have you ever tried a bow?” He asked with sparkly eyes.

“No.” Meg said

“Give me a minuet.” Clint said using finger print access to get into the stock room, Clint climbed a ladder and got out a grey case, that was covered in dust. Clint came back in and opened a box with a perfectly formed slightly smaller version of Clint’s stripped down bow. “It’s yours.” Clint said smiling.

“Seriously!” the teen stared

“Yes it’s a left handed bow than my friend brought for me without knowing, it was lefty. Consider it an early birthday present.” Clint picked up one of the arrows that were in the top of the case, he strung it into the bow. He then stood behind Meg arranging her body into the correct poisons.

“Tell me where you’re aiming.”

“ Middle of the x on the chest.” Meg said.

“Okay then, use the corner of your mouth as an anchor.”

“Alright then, go on.” Meg let go of the string, it hit the point at the centre of the cross. Clint high fived his niece. They carried on from there Clint positioning Meg into the right stance and Meg then shooting.  Eventually Clint stared shooting again Meg put her bow down and picked up the daggers again, throwing them. Nat made Meg jump by saying “Oh my god there is another one.”

“And she’s really good. She already has the aim.” Clint said

“You are teaching her to shoot.” Nat said pointing her to the bow that was resting against the tables.

“Yep.”

“Oh, that’s the left handed bow that Phil got you right?” Nat asked

“Yes. Is lunch ready?” Clint asked

“Yes that’s why I came to get you.” Nat said turning so Clint and Meg followed upstairs.  


	11. Chapter 11

Meg stared at the ceiling looking over at the digital alarm clock the red number announcing that it was 4:43 am. That’s it! Meg thought, she had been awake all night. She knew why she couldn’t sleep, it was the day- that day. She couldn’t bear to lie here and stare at the silks over her bed any more.

She got out of bed and tugged on a pair of black leggings and her Oxford cross country top and her trainers. She wrote Clint a note, and grabbed a water bottle out of the cupboard and headed down to the gym. She got on the running machine furthest away from the door. Meg plugged in her ear phones and she just ran, looking out of the full length windows, she felt as if she was running on air. Meg settled down for the first few chapters of the Oder of the Phoenix.

About half way through the third chapter, and at around 6:00 the lift door opened behind her. She looked over her shoulder. Steve was in khaki trousers and a stretchy white top and he had boxing tape on his hands and he was carrying a water bottle. “I didn’t think anyone else got up this early.” He said, Meg shut off the machine.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Meg said tacking a swig of her water and sitting on the end of the treadmill.

“No neither could I. I can’t much, I feel like I’ve slept too much already. And I always get cold when I close my eyes.” Steve sat down on the seat of a rowing machine next to Meg’s treadmill. “That sounds crazy.” He said huffing.

“No it doesn’t. I actually sounds very normal. I mean for someone who spent 60 something years in an ice cap.” Meg told her feet.

“Are you okay, Megs?” he asked leaning forward.

“You know one of those days that happened a long time ago, and that date comes back around you sort of have the same feeling.”

“Yes absolutely.” Steve said, running his hand through his hair.

“Well it’s one of those days, so I can’t sleep.” Meg said her chest tightening up.

Meg got up “Well I’m going to carry on running.” Steve nodded, knowing not to push it any further. Meg carried on running for another two hours, she then got off the treadmill and waved goodbye to Steve, and got into the lift.

Percy was sat on one of the sofas watching the Avengers cartoons. “Meggy.” he said an ran at his sister. “SShhhhhh.” Meg said picking him up.

“You don’t want to wake anyone Pippy. I’m going to have a shower then I’ll make you breakfast Pip. I want pancakes.”

Percy beamed “Can I have chocolate spread?”

“Yes you can Pip. Give me 10 minutes to have a shower, you go watch your cartoons.”

Meg showered quickly and changed into black leggings and a long purple top and a soft grey hoodie. She put her damp hair up in a pony, and went back into the kitchen. Tilly had joined Percy on the sofa, and they were still watching the Avengers and Percy was making gun noises as the bad guys went down.

Meg padded into the kitchen and started making crepe pancake batter. Once Meg had made two she put Nutella on one and Nutella and strawberries on the other. She put her siblings on the bar stools in the kitchen, setting the one with strawberries in front of Tilly.

Oscar came in rubbing his eyes, he walked around the kitchen and cuddle Meg’s leg sleepy. “Hey Pumpkin. Do you want a pancake?” The boy nodded and Meg walked around with Oscar in her arms and put him on the stool. She carried on making pancakes, she put Peanut Butter on this pancake along, with more strawberries and she passed this one to Oscar. And she made one for herself opting to put her favourite and the classic sugar and lemon on hers.

She ate her pancake as her siblings went back to watching the telly. Nat walked into the living room, also with wet hair. “Do you want a pancake?” Meg said gesturing with her fork.

“No thanks.” Nat said hopping up on a bar stool, “Steve called, said you were running early this morning.”

“I just couldn’t sleep.” Meg replied half annoyed at Steve for telling Nat, but she knew wht he’d done it.

“Okay, but if you want to talk..” Nat said fixing Meg in a death stare.

“I know where you are.” Nat nodded.

After an hour of watching the Avengers, Steve and Clint took the boys into their room to set up there train set meters and meters of track, Steve gave Meg a guilty look. “It’s okay.” She told him.

Steve and Clint had probably more fun that the boys setting up the train track in boys rooms, it snaked around the room away from the climbing frame and around the very edge of the outside of the room. The boys had really good fun chasing the trains around the room, the laughter ringing out through the entire house.

Clint came back into the kitchen as Meg had the kitchen counters full of things you need to make a cake. A lot of cakes. “What’s up butter cup?”

“Well, Pepper is making food for everyone tonight, because apparently some people are coming over. So I decided I’d do pudding.” She said pointing to the table.

“Oh I didn’t know we were having people over.” Clint said. “But I’m sure Pepper will love you for it.”

By five o’clock Meg had baked pudding, a lot of pudding. Two trays of brownies with heaps of chocolate frosting, one tray of peanut butter brownies, a tray walnut and expresso cake with expresso frosting with mixed in nuts , a tray blue and black berry crumple cake, of tray Meg’s favourite carrot cake with passion icing.

Meg carried it all down Pepper stared “Seriously girl, wow. Thank you so much.”

“No problem. You’ve got enough to do with the main meal. Plus I wanted you to spend time with your friend.”

Pepper hugged Meg “Thank you. Sweetie.” Pepper went back to the pot, she had been stirring. “So what are you making?” Meg said swinging herself onto the counters. 

“Chicken, sausage, broccoli, peas and bacon and pasta.” Pepper said smiling.

“Sounds yummy. So who’s coming?”

“Well you’ll finally meet Maria. And then around 5 old friends are coming to say Hi.”

“Okay then see you in a bit then.” Meg got into the lift.

Pepper’s heart sunk the meal tonight wouldn’t go the way the rest of the Avengers or Meg hoped it would. Because everyone knew, everyone knew but Nat and Clint, because it will hurt them the most. Phil hurt then the most.


	12. Chapter 12

Meg put on a pair of jeans and a burgundy top with the Hogwarts coat of arms on it, and she got into the lift while Nat and Clint were getting ready and Meg hit the button to the common room floor.  Meg walked into the common room, Steve was near the door of the lift looking pretty sheepish.

“What’s going on Cap?”

“Well I guess I’d better tell you. Clint and Nat’s old handler..”

“Agent Phil Coulson the one who died after the battle of New York, but is not really dead, yes what about him?”

“What- how- how did you know that?”

“Well when ever Clint and Nat talk about him they seem sad, but you guys are always indifferent. They don’t know who’s coming and you guys do. There is a couple of photos of him in the flat along with the ‘62 Chevrolet Corvette that I passed on my way to the shop this morning. I don’t think many ‘62’s have a S.H.I.E.L.D badge on the back, or can fly.” Meg smiled to herself. “I watch a lot of murder mysteries.” She finished.

“Can I offer you a job?” the man in the suit said coming up to Meg with his hand out stretched.

“Phil Coulson.” Meg shook his hand.

“Meghan Barton, I don’t think Clint would be too pleased with you hiring a minor.”

“No, I don’t think he would. Meghan, this is Melinda, Jemma, Fitz and Skye.”

“Hi.” Meg waved and then turned towards the kitchen, “Need some help, Pep?”

“Love some!” Pepper called from the kitchen.

“This maybe a bit awkward.” Pepper said whispering to Meg when she came over, and then loudly she said “Do you want chicken or boiling?” Pepper was stirring what looked like a cheese sauce, and a chicken was resting under tin foil, and there was uncooked pasta, broccoli and peas on the side.

“I think I’ll go for taking the meat off the chicken.” Meg said. Pepper laughed.

“De-chickening the chicken!”  

“I’ll get on it.” Meg said, as she heard the lift come down, she moved behind Pepper to watch the impending slow motion crash.

Clint walked in and stopped his blood running cold, Nat’s eyes widened with tears in them.

“I can explain.” Phil said walking towards them both with his hands up. “I……” Phil didn’t get any further in his explanation, because Clint punched him in the face.

“What the hell? Seriously WHAT THE FUCK PHIL?!!!”

“I can explain!” Phil said pinching his nose between his fingers.

“I don’t give a fuck. Do you know how much you hurt Nat and Me?” Clint grabbed Nat’s hand who at this point was crying, the black widow was crying.

“I’m sorry, I wanted to find the right time.” Phil said, cringing at his own words. “I’m so sorry Clint, Nat so sorry. I wish there was a reasonable expiation but there isn’t. I died, Fury used it to motivate you and left me with the fall out.”

Clint looked as if he was about to hit Phil again, but Nat stopped hm with a hand on his shoulder, and for the first time scince he died Natasha Romanoff looked Phil in the eyes “We weren’t asking for much Phil, just for you to pick up the phone and say “Hey I’m not dead.””

“I’m sorry Nat.”

“Well were glad you are alive, you know.”

Phil nodded. Nat let go of Clint who was crying and she went to hug Phil.

Pepper turned to Meg who had finished the chicken and was now crying as well.

“Hey what’s the matter?” Pepper cuddled her.

“I don’t like watching them cry.” Pepper smiled at her sadly. She turned back to the pasta. Meg watched as Clint and Phil shook hands and then hugged and laughed. Pepper grabbed two bottles of wine out of the fridge and walked into the middle of the room, “Now that’s over let’s all that a drink.” She said passing the bottles to Tony who started pouring wine into the empty glasses on the table. Clint looked around and then saw Meg and walked over to the kitchen.

He came over and cuddled Meg. “Hey Princess, don’t cry.” He said into her hair.

“Well you don’t cry either.” Meg sniffled into his chest.

“I’m not crying, I’m just a bit pissed.”

“Don’t be angry at Phil, I’d give anything to have my parents come back from the dead, at least you get your best friend back.” Clint smiled, the 16 year old must be one of the smartest he knew.


	13. Chapter 13

Clint and Nat woke the twins and Tilly at 8:45 on their sister’s birthday, a few days after the Phil thing.  Oscar helped Natasha make what the twins said was Meg’s favourite, crepe style pancakes with sugar and lemon, Percy also helped Nat chop up strawberries while his brother stole them and fed them to his sister and himself, Nat poured some cream over the strawberries that were in the blow. Clint poured Meg’s favourite smoothie, mango, passion fruit and orange, into a tall glass. Clint also poured coffee into Meg favourite keep calm and carry on coffee mug. They put all of this on a tray, and Clint carried that while Nat carried a large purple glittery bag, with a bright blue balloon with the number 16 in silver on it tied to the bag with a blue ribbon, Tilly was completely fascinated by the balloon.

The kids got in opened the door to their sister’s room and after a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday, the kids crawled under their sisters duvet. “Morning guys” Meg said as Nat sat down at the foot of Meg’s bed and Clint set down the tray on Meg’s lap and then went to sit down with Clint on the sofa. They watched Meg eat her pancakes, feeding small bites to each of her siblings in turn. When she was done Nat handed her the bag. Meg blushed “Thank you.” She said and them untied the balloon and gave it to her little sister, who held the string of the balloon and bobbed it up and down in the air.

Meg opened the card in the top of the bag, the poem inside said:

 **** _The cake is made sixteen candles on the top_  
The day is all planned so it should not be a flop  
So to you, my darling niece all that remains to say  
Is we love you very much have a great 16th birthday 

**Meg,**

**You deserve all of this, everything you get today. You’re a great big sister and a wonderful and inspiring young women and we hope you will feel safer here. But we are very glad you wrote to us and that you are now in our lives.**

**Happy 16th Birthday, Meggy!**

**Love Uncle Clint and Aunty Nat xxx**

Meg got watery eyes and tried not to cry. She opened the next card which on the font had a picture of a flower, a train and the word Meg with the G the wrong round way around.

Meg then took out a small glittery purple box, with a silver ribbon tied around it. Meg opened the box and took it out of it, it was a shiny black Ipod naon, with a sticky note attached to it.

**This iPod has every audio book you could ever want, and you have a free subscription to Audible.**

**Love Clint and Nat xxx**

Clint had told her to wait for her other present. Meg had never gotten a present that was so expensive, so why she had more present was beyond her.

Pepper had taken Tilly out and Tilly had picked out a set of silver stacking rings, a woven one a sparkly eternity ring and a platted one. Oscar and Percy gave Meg a teddy with the number 16 on its belly.

Nat gave her a small perfectly formed dagger with the words “Keep Safe Meg” in silver on the leather sheath. Nat said “It’s to keep you safe when you don’t feel it. Only to be used if, IF you need it.”

And everyone had put in to get Meg a new phone, which Nat had wrapped in glittery silver paper. With everyone’s number programed in.

After breakfast Pepper came up to look after the kids and Clint and Nat took Meg on a sightseeing tour of New York. For lunch they stopped and a mock- English pub called the Red Lion and Meg had Fish and Chips. When they got back they went to the cinema in the tower and they put on The Sound of Music, which is Meg’s favourite musical.

Around 6 o’clock Meg went down stairs and opened the rest of her presents:

Thor and Jane handed Meg a small box inside held a small a two inch thick silver bracelet with tiny flowers and a crimped edge. “Every woman in Asgard gets when they turn 16, its to protect you little one.” Thor said beaming at Meg.

Steve gave her a framed drawing that he did of her and her brothers and sisters, laughing and being happy. Steve also wrote her a note telling her he would teach her how to swim.

Maria said she’d buy anything Meg 40 dollars’ worth of whatever Meg wanted from boohoo.

Pepper gave Meg a vintage heart locket.  

Sam got her a twenty dollar Itunes gift card.

Bruce and Betty got her a battered black leather backpack for school

Darcy gave her a black and white polka dot day dress

Erik brought Meg The Musketeers, Silent Witness and Our Girl DVDs.

Tony had given Meg a very simple silver band ring that went with the stacking rings she had got from Tilly but what was special about this ring was that she could take off and snap it so it would send a signal if she was in trouble.

Tony also gave Meg a new quiver of arrows with electric blue shafts made out of carbotainium.

Got her a birthday cake witch was a carrot cake with passion icing covered. But for those who didn’t like carrot cake there was a chocolate cake with white royal icing and blue flowers with “Happy 16th Birthday Meggy. xxx” At 8 o’clock Tony ordered Chinese, when the kids went to bed. And they all sat down to watch the 4 episodes of season of the Musketeers, that Meg had missed. Meg’s was trying so hard not to cry, she had never been more grateful, or more thankful to be with a group of people in her life.


	14. Chapter 14

Meg got out of the shower and put on a bath rope, Meg dried her hair and then fixed her hair and curling the bottom of her hair, and fixing it in a half up and half down with a gold and sparkly pin. Meg put on a brown eye shadow on top of a nude shadow, she put eyeliner on the bottom half of her eyes, then Meg curled her eyelashes and put on mascara and then she put on a clear gloss.

Meg picked burgundy skater skirt, a cream polo neck with no sleeves on top of that and a soft grey felt blazer, a pair of grey knee high socks- this is what American girls wore, right? But she didn’t feel comfortable in the clothes she had on, not them in this combination, staring at herself in the mirror, she didn’t look right.

So she went back inside the wardrobe and picked out of an old pair of jeans, a navy and white striped t-shirt and in the depths of the wardrobe Meg found a battered leather jacket, that she suspected Nat got from a brick-a-brack shop and she put back on her boots. She then put on the necklace from Pepper and the bracelet from Thor and Jane, and the stacking rings from Tilly and on the same finger she put on the safety ring from Tony, finally she took the pin out of her hair and tied a tartan cloth around her head. Meg felt more like herself now.

Meg checked her new bag to see if she missed anything her heart sinking lower, she really did hate school, for many reasons, one; she was away from her siblings, two; she had really sever dyslexia, so it took her twice as long to do things and everything was a million times more difficult. Three; kids her own age never seemed to get her.

Meg then picked up the extra light purple backpack out of the bottom of her wardrobe, and Meg then put a grey pair of joggers and her dark green Oxford old rowing club top into it a black zip up hoodie and her pair of purple trainers.

Meg picked up her bag and headed into the living room, “Morning.” Clint said sleepily he was sitting at the table with a large cup of coffee and in a shirt and suit bottoms the rest of the suit way slung over the back of his chair.  

“Meeting?” Meg questioned. Clint nodded and huffed into his mug.

“And then I’m going to drop you off at school, I need to talk to the Principle.”  Clint told Meg as she walked into the kitchen, to make breakfast and some lunch.

Frist thing she did was took down a sports bottle which had a Union Jack on it and two travel mugs that Nat had brought for her, one was a silver tumbler with a screw on lid with a white and aqua chevron pattern with an electric green “M”. The other was another silver tumbler with a screw lid with grey Union Jack and a purple letter “M”. Meg poured some milk in and a sugar and then poured in coffee on top of that as she put the lid on the one mug, Meg put the empty thermos into her bag so she could buy a coffee later and then filled the sports bottle with water and put it into her sports bag.

She then got out some bread and put in some toast, while that was toasting, Meg made a chicken sandwiches, when she went to the cupboards. She grabbed a packet of apple chips and then she got out a carrot and a pear she chopped both of them up. Then the toast sprung up, she then got out butter and jam out of the fridge.

Oscar ran at her, she picked him up and put it on the work surface. He swung his legs as Meg put butter and jam on her toast. Meg then got out a coffee and walnut cupcake, and some Tupperware. “Where are you going?” Oscar asked noticing his sister was dressed as she was putting her food into her box.

“School.” Clint laughed as Oscar made pretending to be sick noises. Percy came running in, “I don’t want you do go.” He said as Oscar jumped off the work surface. And Meg sliced the toast in half and wrapping it in foil.

“I don’t want to go either Pip, don’t make this harder on me. You’ll have a great time, you won’t miss me, Steve is taking you and Oz to the museum.”

Nat came in carrying Tilly half way through Meg’s speech, “You’ll be fine.” Nat said

“Yes, right Nat let’s see, points going for me. I have an accent out of Pride and Prejudice, I’m dyslexic, I live with the Avengers, I’ve never played, baseball, or done cheer leading, I don’t know the rules to American football. I use the Queen’s English, which means the wrong words here. I don’t know squat about the American education system. I’m the new kid, I’ve never been in a school that had more than 300 pupils and therefore I am going to get lost. And the school has a stupid policy that new kids that aren’t in the first year have to join two weeks later, when everyone has settled in. Oh wait, no that all goes against me. Oh and to top it all off I’m going being escorted by Clint “Savour of New York” “Hawkeye” Barton. “Oh, don’t worry Miss Barton, come right on, in will act like you’ve always been here.””

Clint got up draining the last of the coffee from his mug he put it down on the table and he shrugged his jacket on “Come on then Superstar.” He said, as Meg followed him towards the door, Tilly burst into loud angary tears and ran after Meg and Clint when she saw that Meg was leaving. Meg turned and knelt down her little sister ran into her arms. “You can’t come with me Princess.” Meg said her heart breaking, as Percy started crying too. Meg got up and walked into the lift the door slamming shut, “I thought I’d shut the doors quickly, Miss.” Jarvis said.

“Thanks.” Meg said sadly.

“They’ll be okay, Meggy.” Clint said

“I know it’s me I’m worried about. I hate school, and that’s my old one.”

“It might be tough at first but it will get better.”


	15. Chapter 15

Clint pulled up outside, the huge high school; bigger than any place Meg had ever been. She just wanted to sink into the leather seats of Clint’s 4 by 4, she wanted to bolt, run for a million miles all the way home. Meg threw the toast wrapped in foil away into the bin outside, she couldn’t eat it. Clint and Meg were ushered into the Principal’s office and told to sit down. Meg was fidgeting in her seat and fiddling with the protection bracelet that Thor had given her, as they were waiting for the head master- no principle, Meg corrected in her head. The Principle came in he was a tall man with half a balding head, the rest of his head was jet black the man obviously died it. He was wearing spindly little glasses and strangely grey suit trousers and a black t-shirt with an American flag across his chest. He didn’t take much notice of who was in his office, but he started talking to Clint and Meg anyway.

“Right, Good Morning.” The principle turned and visibly jumped at the sight of Clint. He then sat down a stared opening and closing his mouth without any noise coming out.

“My niece is starting school today.” Clint said prompting the principle to come out of his trance.

“Right, well, Miss you are the only new student in school.” Meg’s heart sunk.

The man opened the file on his desk “Well Miss Barton, Oh my god you’re English.” Clint had never concentrated so hard on his eyes, trying not to let them roll back in his head. His niece was unfortunately right, she really wasn’t going to have a great day, poor girl.

“Mmmm, right. Here is you’re timetable and your map, here is you’re late pass. And we’ll go find you a buddy.”

“A buddy?” Clint questioned.

“Someone to show her about, take her to lunch, be a buddy.”

“Okay.” Clint said as the principal stood up and left to go get Meg a “buddy.”

Clint turned as Meg flopped back into her chair “I’m sorry.” He said

“It’s fine I have to finish school. And I’d rather do it here when I know Pip, Oz and Tills are safe and happy.” Clint half smiled at Meg.

“You’re a good girl Meggy. It will get better, Meg.” Clint said putting his hand on her shoulder.

Meg looked down at the timetable she had been given,  “My worst day ever.” Meg muttered at the timetable, she passed it to Clint, he sucked his air through his teeth.

Mon

| 

1

| 

2

| 

3

| 

4

| 

 

| 

5

| 

6

| 

7

| 

8  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
 

| 

Maths

| 

Algebra

1

| 

English

| 

Biology

| 

Lunch

| 

Chemistry

| 

Maths

| 

Physics

| 

Physics  
  
 

The principal came back in with a tall willowy girl that was stick thin, peroxide blonde and practically orange, her skin was emphasised by the bright orange and purple cheer leader. Great Meg through, the girl was her complete opposite making her stick out more.

The principle introduced the girl who was staring open mothed at….Clint. “Meghan this is you’re buddy: Candy. Candy this is Meghan.” But Candy wasn’t paying any attention to her buddy as she was doing the open and closed fish face that Clint was most probably used to.

“Oh.” The Principle clicked his fingers, digging something out of the door of his desk. “And you’re going to need to wear this.” He said handing Meg a bright orange badge, that said “NEW STUDENT.” On it, Christ, Meg thought if that wasn’t the icing of her mortified cake what was it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope it was worth waiting for Love M xxx


	16. Chapter 16

It’s that one there Candy said pointing to a door with 34C stamped on it, along the corridor. She then strutted off. Meg knocked on the door, “Come in.”

She opened the door, the teacher stood up, when she saw the bright orange button pined to her bomber. “Hello. I’m Mrs Beck. I’m guessing you’re Meghan.”

“Yes, Miss.” The teacher flinched at her accent.

“Good, well you are in my Maths class and Algebra 1, so you won’t need to move rooms, you can take the seat next to my desk, I’ll need to talk to you, as the lesson goes on.”

Meg sat down and got out her notebook it was sky blue with white daisies on the cover and inside it held checked paper. She got out her purple pencil cases witch her personal favourite Eeyore on the front reminding her of Tilly.

People filed into the room as a bell above the door went off, with raised eyes at Meg sitting in the corner. Every one clattered down into the desks- that Meg thought were stupid because you couldn’t push the chair in any further towards the table, because Meg is short she has to sit on the very rim of the plastic chair. Meg looked around the room, the walls were cream with the side with the classroom door was full of notice boards, proclaiming different maths strategies. The other side of the room, held 5 standard windows Meg was sitting in the closest to the windows and in front of the teachers desk. The biggest difference in between this classroom and her old ones, was that this classroom had a white board. Her old classrooms housed black boards Meg missed the smell of chalk dust. The other difference was the size of the classroom, this classroom held around 40 desks, her old classroom housed around 20 desks. Meg got that feeling of sitting in a familiar room that was much larger than the one you were used to, that feeling that makes you cold, somewhere new and yet old.

Mrs Beck called the class to order.

“Right people, ratios.” Meg sucked in a breath, she couldn’t have started with something she was worse at than ratios. Mrs Beck clicked a button on her computer and the projector overhead spring into life, the white bored reflected rows and rows of sums.

Meg got down to the sums.

Meg felt a lot happier now the class had changed to Algebra 1.

“Hey guys. So we need to carry on with the work we’ve been Simulations Equations.” Meg’s body relaxed from the tension the ratios had put her body under she could do any and all Algebra.

“Get out your text books and turn to page 47 and then work up to page 50.”

“Where is that?” a boy said from the back of the room. _Between pages 46 and 48, dimwit_ Meg thought.

Mrs Beck passed her a text book, and she opened the operate page.

Meg ploughed through the work and then she coughed, Mrs Beck looked up. “I’m done Miss.”

“Gosh really?”

“Yes Miss.”

“Let me see.” Meg passed the teacher her note book

She took ten minutes to mark it and then raised her eyes at Meg. “Well done. You don’t have any homework.” The bell went off loudly. Mrs Beck handed back her book, as Meg got up and put her stuff into her bag. She walked outside and looked around for Candy.

Meg waited in the hall for Candy but after 10 minutes she guessed she wasn’t showing. Meg got out the packet of papers of that the headmaster had given her, Meg finally got to a piece of paper that was supposed to be the map of the school. Meg tried to follow the map but she guessed that even Steve couldn’t make head nor tale of this so called “map”.

 She looked around there was a boy going through the locker she walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. “Hi, excuse me, can you point me in the direction of the English classroom, Asked Ben way to English class room 52L.”

“Sure I’m heading to english follow me.” She followed after him.

“I’m Ben by the way.”

“Meg.”

They walked out of the building and across to the furthest building on the school lot. He held the door open the door for Meg. He then walked along the corridor and held the door open of Meg she smiled in thanks as he went to sit down in the back of the class.

The teacher stood up, at the sight of Meg “You must be the new girl. I’m Mrs Dots” She said, Meg nodded.

“Miss?”  

“Meghan, Meghan Barton.”

“Oh, darling, how sweet is your accent?” Meg blushed and looked at her feet. “Introduced yourself to the class, Meghan.”

 Meghan wanted to skink into the ground, now! “I’m Meghan, I’m 16, I’ve just moved to New York, I’ve got 3 siblings, none of whom go to secondary school.”

“Okay then go and sit down.” Miss Dots pointed to a desk closest to the wall on the second row back from the front, the seat next to Ben. Meg went to sit down in the seat, feeling utterly embarrassed she took off her bag and digging out the pencil case and a note book with the a dark red Jaguar Mark 2, set against a limestone Oxford building in the centre of Oxford called the Bodleian. Meg was a huge Inspector Morse fan.

She opened the book and then she wrote the date in the top left corner, and directed her attention to the front of the class.

“Right, guys! Of Mice and Men I want you to write down what points you make about the themes.”

Meg had already done Mice of Men and thankfully had already leant the points she needed to write down, so she quickly listed.

  *          Lonelyness, Isolation
  *          Dreams, Plans, Hopes
  *          Friendships
  * ~~Innocance~~ Innocence ~~~~
  *          Freedom and Confinement
  *          Justice
  *          Visions ~~fo~~  of America (the American Dream)
  *          Violence
  *          Women and ~~Femim~~   Femininity
  *          Man vs Natrual World  
  *          Weakness



The teacher came down to check on Meg she looked over what she had written, “You’ve done this before?” Mrs Dots questioned

“Yes.” Meg replied as Mrs Dots passed her a copy of the text book. Meg handed her back the book, then she stuck her hand in the bag and pulled out her own copy.

“What other texts have you studied?” the teacher questioned.

“Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde , To Kill a Mocking Bird and Frankenstein are my texts and then Pride and Prejudice is my Controlled Assessment text.” Meg reeled off.

“Okay we do Of Mice and Men, but none of the others.” Meg nodded she had expected that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are having as much fun reading this as I am writing this. Love M xx


	17. Chapter 17

After biology, which Meg sat through with the line “What are you on about?!” going round and round in her head. She followed everyone else, she guessing was guessing everyone else was going to the dining room. Everyone was staring at her and her bright orange badge. Meg walked into the dining room and immediately decided that the place was far too busy. She headed out side and found a bench far away from people and sat down. Meg pulled her lunch box out of her bag and opened it she took out the sandwich and took a bite out of it.

Meg pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialled Nat’s number. Nat picked up on the first ring.

“Hey. How are you?” she said

“Hi, not great, how is everyone?” Meg asked tucking her legs underneath her.

Nat said “Tilly got pretty upset when you left and the twins were a bit disappointed. Ozzy actually teared up a bit.”

“Ozzy did are they okay, is Ozzy?” Meg asked worried.

“Yes! They’re fine he’s fine, all of them. I took them swimming and they cheered up. Then they had lunch, and the twins are out with Steve now, Steve walked out with them both in his arms super cute, I took a photo. I’ll send it to you. Tilly got a bit teary when I tried to but her down for a nap in her room. She didn’t want to go to sleep without you, but she fell asleep on the sofa watching Peppa. She is still asleep now, hence the whispering. How is school?”

“I’ll tell you about it when I come home. You can pick her up and put her in her bed and she won’t wake up, you can get stuff then.”

“Okay thanks, I’ll do that. Is school that bad, huh??”

A shadow was cast over her, Meghan looked up “Hold on a min, Nat.” she said into the phone.

“Are you Meghan Barton?” A girl that looked like she was about to go strutting down a beach somewhere, she was that scantily clad and so orange she resembled the fruit.

“Yes.” The girl shoved a piece of paper into Meg’s hand and strutted off, swinging her none existent hips. Meg opened the folded piece of paper.

**Meghan Barton,**

**My name is Mr Jackson, I am the head of the track team and by extension the cross country team. I need you to come and see me at the lunch time to talk about it you want to join up, my office is in the changing block. (that’s the weird pink looking thing on your map).**

“Okay I’m back.” I said into the phone.

“What’s up?”

“Just got a note from the cross co teacher. He wants to see me.”

“Well, that’s good, I’ll let you get on, maybe things are looking up for you?”

“Okay then, see you later.”

“Bye bye, Meg.”

“See you.” Meg hung up.

Meg ducked back into the dining room and pulled aside a teacher and asked which way the changing block was. She then headed into the changing room block, looking for Mr Jackson, this school was huge it took Meg a good 10 minutes to get there. She got in and found the office, and knocked on the door.

“Come in.” a man’s voice said, Meg opened the door and went into the office.

“Meghan Barton?” he questioned.

“Yes, sir.” Meg said sitting down in the seat he gestured to.

 “I’m Mr Jackson.” He said holding out of his hand and Meg shook it.

“It’s good to meet you sir.” I said.

“I’m the gym teacher, here, but I’m the teacher of the track team. I got given your old school records, turns out you are amazing at running cross country. I need you to join the team, we would love to have you?” Mr Jackson said tapping his pen on the desk.

“I’d really love too.” Meg said genuinely excited to re-join her favourite hobby.

“Right, meet me on tomorrow after school. You can start putting in times.”

“Thank you sir.”

“Right, have a good rest of the day.” He said as I got up.

“I’ll try sir.”

3 and a half hours later Meg was so glad to get, well, home. Meg punched in her privet number to get into the tower lift, it hummed as it went up the doors opened.  No one was around when she got in she checked everywhere. So she sat down and got out a pad of paper and a text book. Meg was half way through the extra Algebra and the maths homework, she had been set. She got all of that done, and then the lift door opened.

“MEGGY!” Meg stood up and got slammed into by an over excited Percy she picked her up swinging him up onto her hip and cuddling him. “Hey Pippy.” Meg carried him into the kitchen as Percy clung onto her chatting.

“I missed you and me and Tilly and Oscar and Thor and Nat and Pepper went swimming and then we had a bath and I did some colouring and then we had lunch and I had a ham sandwich and so did Oscar and Tilly had cheese and then me and Oscar went to the museum and Steve went with us and then we came back and then then we went to the park and we had an ice cream and then we came back and me and Nat watched Thomas, and Tilly and Oscar played in her room then Uncle Clint came back and Uncle Clint was grumpy and and then we went down stairs and we played with Bruce and Steve and then I came in here because Clint  said you’d be back and he let me come up on my own and I came up to get me a drink  and then you came back!” he said as Meg cuddled him.

“I missed you too, Pippy.” Percy didn’t quite grasp the idea of pausing for breath, or ending a sentence.  Meg placed him on the counter and put her bag on the breakfast bar and she got two glasses out of the cupboard and she then got mango juice out of the fridge and poured some into each glass. She downed hers and passed Percy his.

Clint came out of his bedroom “Meg.” He said smiling and coming over to her “How was it?”

Meg took Percy off the counter and said “Pip do you want to go and play with Tills and Ozzy downstairs?”

“Okay!” He ran off to the lift as and Nat came out of the lift. “Hey.” She said “How was it?”

Clint laughed “That was my question.”

“Well, it was a bit awful really.” Clint motioned for Meg and Nat to sit down. Meg sat in between them. “Well everyone stared, flinched at me ascent and that was just the teachers. And all of the subjects are different.”

“Well, you can cheer up your home now.” Clint said, cuddling her.                  

“Well, I never liked school anyway. I didn’t really think moving to the land of the free was going to change my opinion on the subject.” Clint and Nat both laughed.

“Well, don’t get too sad about it. You’ve got us and the kids to come back to.”

“I know. But, I did get into cross co, so I’ll be home by 4 every day bar Friday where I get off at 12.”

“Well that’s good.” Nat told her. “What does your time table look like?”

Meg got up and she opened her bag, pulling out the folder that she had put in her bag, she passed Nat the folder.

MON: Maths, Algebra, English, Biology, Lunch, Chemistry, Maths, Physics, Physics, Cross Co

TUES: History, Maths, Chemistry, French, Lunch, English, English, History, Latin, Cross Co

WED:  English, French,   Latin, Latin, Lunch, Algebra, Maths, Maths, French, Cross Co

THUR: Chemistry, English, History, Maths, Lunch, Physics, Maths, Gym, Gym, Cross Co

FRI: Biology, Latin, English, French, Maths.

“Well, Fridays are good.” Nat said and the lift opened and Percy, Oscar, Tilly, Phoo and Piglet landed on top of Meg. “I missed you guys.” She said cuddling all of them.


	18. Chapter 18

The second day wasn’t much better than the first in fact it was worse- the day started by again getting lost- seriously lost. First Meg wouldn’t let Tony’s driver drop her right outside the gate, he dropped her a few roads away and then Meg couldn’t actually find the school which was brilliant! After 10 mins Meg managed to find a throng of people with backpacks and a long line of cars she flowed the stream of people in through the gates and then preceded to get utterly ******* lost, again. Added to this the fact it was raining and Meg’s hair was soon plastered to her head and neck and her jeans were clinging to her legs.

Meg couldn’t find her history classroom and of course, Candy didn’t turn up. So lost.. you would have thought CL82 would have been right next to CL81 and CL83 but no apparently not. Meg saw the last of the people heading into the classroom down the corridor.

“Excuse me!” Meg shouted as the last of the people walked into the classroom and the door snapped shut. Meg was left standing in a completely empty corridor, she huffed. “Okay, breath” Meg walked up and down the corridor and found that this building that only had odd numbers for the rooms, what kind of building only has odd numbers. There was no second floor so the even numbers weren’t up on the roof. Meg dug the so-called map out of her bag. She knew the pink blob was the gym and Meg was now at the furthest point away, maybe.

Meg walked out of the building the next one held rooms 20-40 but only the odd numbers, the next was finally even but 40- 60. After half an hour of checking all 134 classrooms in the place. Meg finally found CL82 she had walked passed it three times a storage container in the middle of the lot with no windows.

“You’re late!” Meg opened her mouth to speak but before she could speak she got interrupted “Sit down, I’ll talk to you after class.”

Rather than argue and ignoring the steers Meg sat down and dug her notebook out of her bag. Brilliant history was actually the only subject she enjoyed and she had already got on the wrong side of the teacher. The rest of the class didn’t go to well, American Civil war. Meg could name every single King and Queen of England, but not anything about the American Civil war.

When the bell rang Meg waited behind she walked up to the desk fiddling with her hands “Sir I..”

“Detention, after school, back here.”

“I’m new sir, it’s only my second day here. I got lost.”

“You should have studied the map when you went home last night.” The teacher waved dismissively.

“But Sir, I have cross country ....”

“I don’t care if you have a board meeting with the dam Avengers back here after school.”

“Yes sir, thank you sir” Meg whispered.

Meg sighed and pushed open the door and back into the pouring rain. Meg jammed her ear phones into her ears and she turned up I Can’t Decide by the Scissor Sisters. Meg tried not to scream at the injustice of it all.

At lunch time Meg went to find Mr Jackson. She knocked on the door “Come in.”

“Oh, hello Meghan. Good timing I wanted to introduce you to Tyler Hills he’s the Captain of the cross country team tonight. You’ll be running with him tonight.”

“That’s the thing, sir. Can I talk to you alone, please?”

“You can talk to me in front of Tyler he’s your captain.” Mr Jackson said looking at the computer screen.

Meg took a deep breath “My history teacher gave me detention, tonight.”

“You got detention! I’m NOT running with her, sir.” Tyler Hills stormed out almost knocking Meg over. The door slammed shut in Meg's face.

“Sir I got lost, my buddy never turned up. I couldn’t find the classroom.” Meg fiddled with the headphones of her iPod “Now he will not let me explain, I’m so sorry.”

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. If you don’t get detention then as well. You can go now.” Mr Jackson was no longer kind he was sharp and clipped.

“Sorry, sir.” Meg turned opened the door. She headed over to the cafeteria she looked at the food but she didn’t want anything to eat. So she walked to the classroom and sat on the floor.

The rest of the day was pretty rubbish after her last class Meg headed back to the storage locker and knocked on the door. “Come.” Meg opened the door. “Sit. Write.” Meg sat down and looked at the board “I must not be late.” God, Victorian England now! This day couldn’t get any worse, not any worse. And then Meg got home...

 

 

Meg punched in her number to the lift and tried not to punch a hole through the wall while she was doing it. Meg was so angry, shaking angry, she had never got a detention in her life -over something so stupid and it wasn’t even just that she had probably just lost her place on the cross country team.

Meg got upstairs and was immediately got nearly knocked back into the lift by a teary Oskar “Percy took my trains; all the red trains are mine there my trains. I gave him Thomas!” Oskar said his eyes welling up with tears. Meg rolled her eyes she loved her siblings but at a time like this, an argument between red trains and blue trains right now wasn’t really the things she wanted to be doing now.

“Who else is here, Ozzy?”

“Perc and Tilly.” Oskar sniffled

Meg took a deep breath and got down to Oskar’s level “Which adult Ozzy who’s looking after you, sweetie? Who else is up here?”

“Me and….” But before Oskar could finish that sentence, there was a scream from Percy and Oskar’s room.


	19. Chapter 19

Meg ran into the boy’s room practically tripping Oscar to get there quickly. Percy was screaming his little head off he was in the corner of the room next to the toy box and Tilly was pulling at her brother’s jumper. As Meg got closer she saw that Percy’s arm was trapped under the lid of the toy box. Meg shoved up the lid of the toy box and carefully picked up Percy’s arm, pulling the boy onto her lap, Percy was balling his arm had a red stripe across were he had been hit by the top of the wooden toy chest. Tilly wouldn’t let go of her grip on her sister's neck.

“Oskar who else is up here?” Meg urged the twin who was staring horror-stricken at his brother. “Ozzy!”

“No one.” Oskar choked out.

“Okay Oskar, you need to listen to me!” the frightened boy nodded. “Go to the bathroom, go and get a small towel, put it in the bath and turn the cold tap on. Once the towel is wet bring it in here. Go and do it now and quickly.”

The little boy ran in the direction of the bathroom. Meg turned her attention to the little boy in her arms, she whipped away the tears in her bothers eyes. “Alright, little one. Can you wiggle your fingers on your poorly hand?” through the tears Percy managed to move his figures.

“Okay, good boy, well done.” She smoothed the boy’s hair down off his sweaty face. Oskar came back in the towel dripping everywhere, he passed it back to Meg who wrapped Percy’s arm in the cold towel. “Oskar. You’ve been a brilliant, boy. Can you do one more thing for me?”

“Yes.” Oskar said in a tiny voice “My phone- can you get. No. Wait. Jarvis!”

“Yes, Miss Barton.” The AI replied in a smooth voice.

“I need some one up here. An adult, right now! Preferably Bruce or Betty. Or a doctor. Like Now!”

Meg shouted at the roof while trying to untangle Tilly from around her neck, while also trying to hold the cold towel on Percy’s arm while the little boy was trying to pull it off. “Oskar, some here little one.” Meg urged the frightened little boy over to her. Oskar sat down on the floor next to his brother and held his good hand and started trying to shush his brother. Meg held Percy’s arm still thinking it might possibly break. “Okay, Pip. Someone will be here soon, little man.”

The thudding of feet heralded the arrival of a flustered looking Bruce medical bag in hand “Help.” Meg shot a pleading look in the doctor’s direction.

“What happened?” Bruce crouched down.

“He had his arm trapped in the toy chest. I don’t know what happened. I just got back.” Meg was still clutching Percy and his arm to her chest had Tilly wrapped around her back and Oskar curled up next to her who was still trying to shush his brother.

“Okay.” Bruce sat on the floor “Pip I am going to look at your arm now.”            

“NO!” Percy shouted.

Meg held her brother tightly “Percy looks at me.” The small boy looked up with tears in his eyes “Who is your favourite superhero?”

“Captain America.”

“And who is Captain America.”

“Steve.”

“Why is Steve your favourite superhero?”

“Because Steve is the bravest superhero in the whole world.”

“So right now, you’ve got to be brave, like Steve and show Bruce your arm.” Percy snuffled and turned to Bruce to offer him his arm.

“Good boy,” Bruce said softly unwrapping the towel from around Percy’s arm. “Nice idea with the towel.”

“Seen it done before,” Meg whispered and then mouthed IS-IT-BROKEN? Bruce shrugged an I don’t know gesture back. Percy was still sniffing but he was trying hard to be brave but he whispered and whimpered, when Bruce’s fingers got closer to the welt on his arm Percy whispered “Ow!” but Oskar burst into angry tears and batted Bruce’s hand away from his brother. “Oskar!” Meg scolded.

“Hurting. Pip!” Oskar gasped through sobs. Before Meg could comfort the distort little boy loud footsteps heralded the arrival of more people. A flustered looking Clint and Nat arrived in the doorway. “What happened?!” Clint asked.

Meg looked up and opened her mouth to tell her Uncle EXACTLY what happened. When Bruce said, “Not broken, he’s okay.” And all the air escaped her lungs. Oskar and Tilly launched themselves onto their bother nearly knocking Percy and Meg over. Which made Percy cry out in pain. Percy shrunk further into Meg’s chest and Oskar pulled back looking worried.

“It’s okay, you’ve just got to be careful with him Ozzy.” Meg told the worried boy and then added in Clint and Nat’s direction “Can you take them, please?” The two spies who were looking at Meg with gormless expressions. “Can you take Oskar and Tilly into the other room. Please.” Nodding Clint moved forward to pick up the two children.

“I DON’T WANT TO GO!” Oskar gasped trying to wiggle out of Clint’s grasp.

“Go and pick out a cupcake for Percy.” Oskar stopped squirming and nodded letting Clint take them out, Nat followed. Bruce who was rummaging around in his bag pulled out a sterile bandage “I’m going to strap him up.” He said quietly to Meg “To stop it from moving about too much.”

“Hear that Perc. You're going to get a cool bandage for a bit.” Percy sniffled into Meg’s chest.

“And a cupcake?”

“Defiantly,” Meg said cuddling Percy, who was sitting very still and patiently while Bruce was wrapping his arm.

“Can Bruce have a cupcake?” Meg smiled “We made them Bruce.” The boy told the Doctor. “They have the Avengers on them Uncle Clint’s even on one of them. Aunty Nat ate that one she swallowed that one all the way down.” Watching Bruce trying to suppress the smile that was twitching at his lips made Meg giggle, the release of laughter was gladly met and even Percy was giggling in the way children do when adults erupt into laughter for no apparent reason.

“All done,” said Bruce softly. “There we go Percy brilliant job. Shall we go and find those cupcakes, now.” Percy nodded. “Carry me?” he asked Meg.

“You’re heavy Pips.” Meg said but at the drop of his mouth “Okay then.” Meg picked up the boy.

“Thank you so much, Bruce.”

“It’s alright. It’s my job.” Bruce smiled touching Megs shoulder and then ruffling Percy’s hair. Percy curled tighter into the safety of his sister, who cuddled him and stroked his hair as she carried him into the living room.

Percy wouldn’t leave his sisters lap for the rest of the night but cupcakes and a banana milkshake made the little boy smile. Meg put Oskar and Percy to bed and read them a story she had to lie with Percy until he fell asleep. Once he had, she crept down from the twin’s bedroom in the sky once her feet had reached the floor. Meg’s eyes filled with tears. Angry tears, not from the day, that was over now.

Meg pushed the door to the living room open angrily “Why the hell was they left alone? Who was meant to be looking after them?!” Meg's furry was directed at her Uncle and Aunt.


	20. Chapter 20

“Meg?” Clint and Nat were sitting on the sofa with a bottle of wine between them, like nothing in the world had happened and everything was normal.

“Why where they on their own?!” Meg shouted shaking angrily.

“We don’t know, Tony was meant to be watching them.”

“I am going to fucking KILL him!” To their credit, both Clint and Nat managed to flinch in that concerned parent way at Megs language

“Okay, Meg. Sit down.” Said Clint seriously.

“Hang on a bloody minute!”

“SIT DOWN!” Clint managed to raise his voice but not in an attacking way, but a way that Meg sat right down on to the sofa behind her. Clint sat down at the same time took Nat’s hand and lent forward to talk to Meg.

“I got a call from your school today,” Clint said without judgment in his voice, but still…

Meg stood up again “NO!” she said grinding the word out through gritted teeth.

“What do you mean, no?”

“I mean we’re not discussing this now and that’s an end to it.” Meg turned to leave, but Clint was up out of his seat in an instant.

“You got detention, Meg!”  Clint’s level headiness had gone and now he was angry. Meg pushed straight past Clint into the lift.

“I can’t deal with this right now.” She said not looking back over her shoulder at her Aunt and Uncle and the closing doors behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one today, more soon. Promise M xxx

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this.


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